When Alexandria\, Virginia's first public library was constructed just a few blocks from his home\, Samuel Wilbert T ucker\, a young\, Black attorney\, was appalled to learn that he could not use the library because of his race. Inspired by the legal successes of t he NAACP in discrimination cases\, he organized a grassroots protest to de segregate the library that his tax dollars supported.
\nPublic in Name Only \;tells the important\, but largely forgotten\, story of Tucker and a group of Black citizens who agitated for change in the terms and conditions of their lives. Employing the combined strategies of direct-action public protest\, nonviolent civil disobedienc e\, and municipal litigation\, Tucker's initiative dovetailed with the nat ional priorities and tactics of larger civil rights organizations. While T ucker's campaign did not end with the desegregation of the Alexandria Libr ary\, but instead resulted in the creation of a &ldquo\;separate-and-unequ al" Jim Crow Black branch\, the sit-in demonstration represents a momentou s early struggle for racial equity waged through civil rights activism.
\nhttps://alexandria.libnet.info/event/7275457 URL;VALUE=URI:https://alexandria.libnet.info/event/7275457 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/alexandria/BMP_AUtalk.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR